The present invention relates to toy vehicles and, in particular, to powered, propelled toy vehicles having unusual transformation and action capabilities.
Toy vehicles are well known. Remotely controlled and radio-controlled toy vehicles, in particular, have come to constitute a significant specialty toy market. Manufacturers constantly seek new ways and features to add innovative action to such toys to make such vehicles more versatile, more entertaining or both.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,808 discloses a four-wheeled, flip-over toy vehicle. One end of a front axle of the vehicle mounts the two front wheels and is pivotally coupled with the remainder of the vehicle. The front axle is latched into a normal operating position parallel to the back axle so that all four wheels define a common support plane. A mechanism permits the latch to automatically release after predetermined movement of the vehicle. A spring is provided between the front end and the remainder of the vehicle to pivot the remainder of the vehicle away from the front axle when the latch is released, thereby causing the vehicle to flip over.
Each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,398,541, 4,691,798 and 5,019,009 discloses a vehicle or toy vehicle provided with one or more auxiliary, ground contacting wheels, which are mounted to rotate on axes extending generally perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and to pivot about a pivot axis running generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. As was the case with the toy vehicle of U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,808, the axles and auxiliary wheels of these vehicles are permitted to pivot only through a limited arc which is a fraction of a full circle.